F-302
The F-302 fighter-interceptor is the production model of the X-302 hyperspace fighter, an air and space superiority vehicle operated by the United States Air Force, the Russian Federation and possibly the People's Republic of China. Name: Lockheed Martin F-302 Fighter-Interceptor Class: ■ F-302 ■ Multi-role Attack Starfighter ■ Starfighter Manufacturer: SGC, United States Airforce, serial production is contracted to Lockheed Martin and other Earth based aerospace defense companies. When the experimental X-302 hyperspace fighter was added to the Tau'ri fleet, it became officially known as the F-302 fighter-interceptor. A space-worthy fighter-interceptor aircraft reverse-engineered from Goa'uld technology but entirely human-built, unlike its predecessor, the X-301 Interceptor. Earth now commands a fleet of F-302s. The Prometheus and Daedalus-class warships such the Odyssey carry one and two squadrons of these vessels respectively. The ships have been used in the defense of the planet, and they have also been stationed at off-world bases such as the Alpha Site on P4X-650, the Gamma Site and Icarus Base . F-302s can seat up to two pilots and are most often used in aerial combat situations, but they are also capable of transporting and deploying objects such as satellites into orbit. They are one of the most valuable assets at the Tau'ri's disposal - they can stand toe to toe with 2-3 Goa'uld Death Gliders or Wraith Darts and win. Their main advantage is their missiles, which are better in dogfights than the forward firing energy weapons of the Wraith Darts or Goa'uld Deathgliders that the F-302 commonly engages. After the largely successful testing of the X-302 hyperspace fighter, the craft entered production with only slight modifications. The hyperdrive, which had originally been intended to allow interstellar travel, was altered to provide only short intra-system hops. Also, the two jet exhausts were modified so as to function as rockets in outer-atmosphere combat. The F-302 fighter-interceptor has four different sets of engines: air breathing jets, modified aerospikes for high altitude, a rocket booster, and a hyperspace window generator. The Goa'uld Death Gliders are not capable of entering hyperspace because the engine to create a hyperspace window would be much too large. But, because the F-302 uses Naquadria to power the hyperdrive window generator, the F-302 has a more compact hyperdrive engine and thus became the first human-built space craft thought to be capable of interstellar travel. Because of the instability of the Naquadria, however, the hyperspace window can only be generated for a very brief moment, thus greatly limiting the F-302's interstellar travel capabilities. Because the F-302 cannot maintain a hyperspace window for a long period of time, it is not capable of prolonged interstellar travel. In order to get it from one planet to another within the galaxy, Stargate Command disassembles the aircraft and transports it through the Stargate. F-302s do not require a very long runway, possibly having STOL capabilities, making them easy to adapt to various locations. Even with their limited hyperspace capability, the F-302s have proven their usefulness in battle situations and are stationed both on Earth and at off-world bases, such as the Alpha Site and the Gamma Site. The X-302 hyperspace fighter reached the hypersonic speed of Mach 6 inside Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of 30 kilometers. The interceptor uses the modified aerospike engines in high altitudes. These capabilities were most likely inherited by the F-302. Along with Inertial dampeners, the F-302 also has the maneuverability of an F-22 Raptor and the ride of a Boeing 747 airliner. In addition to standard landing gear, it possesses three grappling cables that allow it to latch onto another object. The cables are able to withstand considerable strain, enabling the craft to tow objects far larger than the fighter itself. It also possesses a small cargo or bomb bay, which was used to deploy an anti-Replicator satellite over the Alpha Site The F-302 has hundreds of safety mechanisms to compensate for anything that could go wrong. It also has an autopilot which cuts in to ensure safety. As with other Earth aircraft, the F-302, like its predecessors, the X-301 Interceptor and X-302 hyperspace fighter, features an ejection system allowing the occupants of the craft to escape the vehicle. When an F-302 is destroyed, its inertial dampeners emit an Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which can easily interfere with electrical and communications signals. This was discovered during the clean-up following the battle with Anubis's Al'kesh and Death Gliders in Antarctica. The phenomenon was studied by scientists at Area 51 and was determined to be caused by the concussive force of the craft's destruction interfering with the artificial gravity field generated by the inertial dampeners. F-302s are armed with highly effective dual Railguns and modified AIM 120A air-to-air missiles. The warheads on said missiles have been enhanced with Naquadah and are capable of inflicting heavy damage to the hyperdrive systems of Wraith Hive ships. The F-302 can also carry tactical nuclear missiles. This is not a normal feature of the craft, but they can be retrofitted with them. The F-302 has also been shown to be equipped with a payload bay on the underside of the craft, as seen when Teal'c piloted an F-302 to deploy a Replicator disruptor satellite in orbit over the Alpha Site. Whether this payload bay can be used to carry additional weapons remains to be seen. Variants: F-302 A: Serial Production unit of the F-302. Saw the Hyperdrive removed in favor of an Plasma torpedo Launcher capable of fireing 18 Plasma torpedos before draining the minature Naquadriah reactor, and an additional forward firing rail guns. F-302 B: Equipped with an larger payload bay that is capable of delivering a 500 pound bomb to a target. F-302 E: The most common export version to Gate Alliance Nations which enables the GAN members to use their own domestic avionics. F-302 E's also lack the Naquadah-enhanced AIM-120s. F-302 H: The F-302 H features an improved minature hyperdrive, based off of the one that Docter Rodney Mckay designed during his brief brush with ascension. With this drive the F-302 can travel up to 3,500 light years. F-302 S: The F-302 S experments with deploying shields on the F-302. F-302 P: Currently under development the F-302 P is testing the minaturized Asgard Plasma Cannon. Category:Starfighter Category:Tau'ri Technology